Epizephyrian Locris

Site location

The Locri Epizephyrii archaeological site is in Mandorleto, a frazione of the modern town of Locri, approximately 3 km southwest of the town centre. It is located between the Portigliola and Gerace rivers, between the Ionian Sea and the hills of Castellace, Abbadessa, and Manella.

History

Locri was the last of the Greek colonies founded in Calabria, following a wave of colonization by Achaeans from the Ionian coast (Metapontion, Poseidonia, Sybaris, Kroton) shortly before 720 BC. The first settlement was founded near Cape Zefirio (the current Cape Bruzzano).

Later, the colonists moved north, close to the Epopis hill, where they founded a city named "Epizephyrioi". The indigenous populations of the Sicels were driven out.

Scholars hold contrasting views of the colonists' origins. Some argue that they might have come from Opuntian Locris, while others believe they originated in Ozolian Locris in whole or in part. Many believe that the settlers were Helots. The dispute is based on different ancient sources.

Locri functioned under a political model similar to that of Locris. A conservative militarist aristocracy exercised power through the so-called "Assembly of a Thousand", which was probably composed of citizens enjoying full political rights. The population was organised into three tribes and thirty-six phratries.

The Epizephyrian Locris legal system was based on the legislation of Zaleucus, c. 660 BC and used a written, codified set of laws.

The system used the law of retaliation (Latin: lex talionis), imposing specific penalties for each crime committed in an attempt to prevent serial family feuds and private vengeance, which was customary at the time. The system also placed a much higher value on the role and social prestige of women within Epizephyrian Locrian society. This is seen in their role in the city's cults and their right to perpetuate inheritance and the name of a family over time, even in the absence of male heirs. The nobility also used matrilineality to trace its lineage.

In 7th century BC, the development of the city was underway, expanding from the hills onto the plain closer to the sea, based on an organized urban plan. Its sanctuaries and cults became well-known across the Greek world, particularly two sanctuary estates: one dedicated to Persephone (who was worshipped as the protector of fertile marriage, a role typically associated with Hera), and one to Aphrodite. …

Architecture

Archaeological excavations conducted by Orsi (1908–1912), Arias (1940–1941), and Jacopi (1951) showed that the town was laid out on a rectangular plan organised around a broad main street. This street, which still preserves the Greek name dromo (from dromos), marked the point at which the city rose into the surrounding hills.

The discovery of important inscriptions halfway up Mannella Hill, related to the city's later administration, suggests the agora was located at its base.

Theatre

The Theatre held up to 4,500 spectators and is located in the Pirettina area. It exploits a natural concavity at the foot of the Casa Marafioti hill below the Cusemi plateau, and was excavated by cutting steps in the soft sandstone and partly arranged with slabs of the same sandstone. It was rebuilt in the 1st century BC on the original Greek layout from the 4th century BC. Numerous alterations were made over time.

It was brought to light in 1940 and excavations were completed in 1957.